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Michael Lesher

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Mar 15, 2018, 11:30 AM

The speech Nikki Haley could have given at the AIPAC conference…

My fellow apologists: it's really wonderful to be here with friends like you -- people who appreciate the license that comes with having overwhelming military power and political carte blanche. You know, representing the US at the United Nations can...

Sep 28, 2017, 11:11 AM

I support Palestinian rights, and I’m fed up with the anti-Jewish conspiracy theories

'I will not be asked to choose between Judaism and justice'

Sep 11, 2017, 5:26 PM

Guard my synagogue? No, thank you

“A sign of the times,” an acquaintance sighed as the two of us approached the entrance to our Orthodox Jewish synagogue in Passaic, New Jersey a few months ago. At the glass doors of the building stood two young...

Mar 17, 2017, 2:03 PM

What Canadians really think about Israel/Palestine — and what major media won’t tell you

As a citizen of a democracy, wouldn’t you want to know if the policy of your government ran directly contrary to the will of its electorate? As a news reader, wouldn’t you prefer accurate information from your newspapers and TV...

Feb 21, 2017, 5:51 PM

Why “love of Jews” means hate

In 1970, when I was 12 years old, I watched with a kind of horrified fascination as a sinister-looking, middle-aged man named J.B. Stoner delivered a stump speech in his campaign for governor of Georgia. Stoner would later go...

Feb 14, 2017, 4:17 AM

The Orthodox Union’s war on women: It’s all about abuse

“If they are victorious now, what will they not attempt?” warned Cato, perhaps ancient Rome’s most eloquent misogynist, back in 195 B.C.E. “As soon as they begin to be your equals, they will have become your superiors.” Empires come...

Feb 3, 2017, 8:06 AM

Why do they hate us? An apology for my enemies

You’ve seen them, haven’t you? The vicious personal attacks, the expletives, the death wishes? If you’ve read any writing like mine – writing by a Jew who acknowledges Palestinian humanity – and taken the time to look at some...

Jan 19, 2017, 2:07 AM

The farewell address Obama should have given

My fellow Americans: Eight years ago, I stood before you with a promise that my administration would bring change to America, change that would strengthen your hopes in the future. Today, I offer you an assessment of how well I have...

Jan 11, 2017, 3:21 PM

Crime and punishment: Fadi Qunbar, Elor Azaria and Israel’s occupation

First of all, I do not want to write about Elor Azaria. He is a cipher: a smirking, undersized bully who murdered a helpless Palestinian because the State of Israel put a rifle into his hands, corrupted him with...

Dec 16, 2016, 6:59 AM

Why the Orthodox rabbinate protects sex abusers — and the occupation

A few years ago, Ben Hirsch, president of Survivors for Justice – an advocacy group for Jewish survivors of sexual abuse – opined in the New York Post that “the strictly Orthodox rabbinic leadership’s conduct” in sex abuse cases...

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About Me

Michael Lesher is an author, lawyer and Orthodox Jew who lives in Passaic, NJ. His most recent book is Sexual Abuse, Shonda and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities (McFarland & Co., 2014).